CLEVELAND — A smile creased Kevin Durant's face at the mere mention of the second-year star.

It's not often that happens when Durant discusses opponents.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving (2) is congratulated by Omri Casspi after hitting a 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors with 0.7 seconds left in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in Toronto. The Cavaliers won 99-98. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young) ORG XMIT: CHY127

But that's the level of admiration the three-time scoring champion has for Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, the reigning Rookie of the Year who Durant already deems a top-five talent at his position and a player he says he'd pay to see play.

“Everybody can see how exciting he is to watch,” Durant said. “His handle, his jump shot, his savvy, his poise, he's just a big-game player.”

Durant will lead the Thunder into Cleveland to face Irving and the Cavs on Saturday night inside Quicken Loans Arena. It'll be the second and final meeting between the two teams. The Thunder pummeled Cleveland by 15 points in the first matchup back in Oklahoma City. Irving scored 20 points with four rebounds and five assists in that contest.

On the season, Irving ranks sixth in the league in scoring with a 23.9-point average. He's added 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals.

What's made it even more impressive for Durant is that Irving can't even legally buy an adult beverage until March 23.

“I like young guys, because I was one of those guys, 20 years old trying to establish yourself,” Durant said. “And to be an All-Star in your second year, that's stuff that doesn't happen on the regular so I've got a lot of praise for him.”

Irving is the sixth-youngest player (20 years, 331 days) in league history to be named to an All-Star team. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's one of only seven players in NBA history to be selected before turning 21.

Kobe Bryant (19 years, 169 days) is the youngest All-Star of all time, followed by LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett and Isaiah Thomas.

The maturity with which Irving plays has forced Durant to take notice.

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